Summer Palace

In 1960, the Summer Palace in Beijing was declared as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. This led to the Summer Palace becoming the best preserved royal park in all the country as well as being the largest. The palace was first constructed during the Jin Dynasty and it was continuously extended by succeeding emperors. When the Qing Dynasty came, it had grown into a luxurious royal garden for the royal family's entertainment. The current name of Summer Palace didn't come to be until 1888 when the Empress Dowager Cixi used funds for the navy to rebuild the place. It was ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied force in 1900. It was first opened to the public in 1911. Today, tourists can enjoy the wonderful scenery and the peaceful environment from 7am to 5pm from November to end of March and 6:30am to 6pm from April to end of October.